Bella's Sister
by floydcotton
Summary: Mandy Swan is Bella's older sister. Imprinted upon by Sam Uley, Mandy thinks that her life is going great. That is, until her sister marries and becomes pregnant by a vampire. With her sister on the verge of dying due to her strange pregnancy and also under threat of death from Sam and the pack, what will Mandy do?
1. Prologue

**This first chapter will essentially cover everything that happened before "Breaking Dawn," and the next chapter will start up right with "Breaking Dawn." There won't be any dialogue in this chapter due to it being mostly background info, but there will be in the following chapters. Emily will be Paul's imprint instead of Sam's. Enjoy! DISCLAIMER: I do not own Twilight or anything to do with the books or movies; they belong to the author and the filmmakers. I only own the OC.**

 **Twilight: "Bella's Sister"**

 **Prologue: Mandy and Sam's Beginning**

Two years before Bella's birth, Charlie and Renee Swan had their first daughter, Mandy. She looked almost exactly like her mother, with the exception of the dark brown hair she inherited from her father. Mandy was a very happy little girl, always smiling and laughing. When her younger sister Bella was born, Mandy loved being an older sister. She always wanted to help her parents take care of Bella; she adored her younger sister.

The only person she seemed to love more than her sister was her father. While Mandy did love Renee, it was Charlie who could always make her smile. Mandy was very much Daddy's little girl. When Charlie and Renee divorced, they knew that neither one of them could take care of two kids on their own. Charlie presented Renee with a solution: he would have primary custody of Mandy and she would have primary custody of Bella.

This worked out pretty well for the broken family. Mandy missed her mother and sister, but she had a great time with her father and loved having all of his attention for herself. As the years went on, Bella would spend a few weeks during the summer with Charlie and Mandy, and then Mandy would spend a few weeks with Renee and Bella.

As they got older, Mandy began to realize just how different she and her sister were. Bella was awkward and clumsy; even worse, in Mandy's opinion, Bella's personality was very boring. Bella didn't seem to want to have fun; she just wanted to stay home. She was way too serious for Mandy, who was a more carefree and fun-loving girl.

During her senior year of high school, Mandy officially met Sam Uley, a boy from the La Push Quileute Reservation. Mandy had always known who Sam was because Charlie was good friends with some of the La Push residents, but she had never actually met him. But in early October of her senior year, Charlie had sent her over to the Clearwater's house to drop some things off and Sam had been there. They had greeted each other and had a short conversation before Mandy left, but their brief interaction had left quite an impression on her. He was a very good-looking guy, and he seemed really nice.

Mandy didn't see him for a few months, but she couldn't stop thinking about him. She had asked her father about Sam and Charlie couldn't say enough good things about him. Mandy couldn't help but think that he must be at least a decent person if Charlie thought that he was, since Charlie could at times be a hard man to impress.

The next time they met was two days before Christmas. Mandy was at the store buying food for Christmas when she quite literally ran into Sam as she was turning down an aisle. She almost dropped her food and began apologizing profusely as she readjusted her shopping basket. When she looked up into his eyes, however, all coherent thought left her mind. She couldn't focus on anything but the man in front of her.

Before she could say anything more, he left the store quickly with a look of shock upon his face. Mandy was shocked herself, not sure what had just happened. She found herself missing him already and longing to be with him. She returned home and went straight to her room, thinking only of Sam and their encounter in the store.

A few days after the incident in the store, Mandy went to Billy Black's house with Charlie so the two men could watch football. Jake, Billy's son, wanted to go hang out with his friends Quil and Embry and invited Mandy to go with him. Mandy, who didn't want to watch football, agreed and the two started walking to Quil's house. Quil, as it turned out, lived right down the street from Sam. Mandy discovered this when she saw Sam walking out of his house just as she and Jake were walking up to Quil's house.

Their eyes met, and they both found that they couldn't look away. Jake had tried to get Mandy's attention, but he eventually gave up and went into Quil's house on his own. Sam walked up to Mandy and they started talking; they ended up standing on the sidewalk talking for several hours until Jake came back out and told Mandy that they should go to his house since the football game was probably over.

After that day, Mandy and Sam were basically inseparable. They hung out every day after school, either at one of their houses or on the First Beach. Mandy found herself quickly falling in love with him, even though they had only known each other for a few months. But as much as she was beginning to fall for him, she couldn't help but feel like Sam was keeping something from her. He would disappear at night and not tell her where he was going or what he was doing. After about a month of dating, Mandy confronted him about his secrecy. This was when Sam dropped the bombshell: he was a werewolf and he had imprinted on her.

Mandy was shocked at first, obviously. She had never dared to think that her boyfriend could turn into a mythical creature and had fallen in love with her just because of his genetics. She knew that what Sam had told her was impossible; but when she looked in his eyes, she knew he was telling the truth. It also didn't hurt that he took her into the forest and demonstrated to her his shape-shifting abilities.

They continued dating throughout the rest of their senior year. Charlie thought it was great that his oldest daughter was dating someone like Sam, whom he thought could take care of her. Mandy had sent a picture of her and Sam to Renee and Bella, to which she received mixed results. Renee gushed over Sam, saying how handsome she found Sam and that she couldn't wait to meet him. Bella, on the other hand, was less than enthusiastic. She did congratulate Mandy, but she didn't really find the fact that her sister was dating someone to be all that exciting.

After graduation, Mandy and Sam began spending even more time together. Mandy had gotten a job as the secretary for the Forks Police Department and Sam was doing odd jobs around Forks and La Push. Sam didn't go with her when she went to California with Charlie and Bella, but he did go to Phoenix with her to meet Bella, Renee, and Phil, Mandy's step-dad. In August, Sam and Mandy decided to move in together. They had only been dating a few months, but they knew they were ready for that step. Charlie wasn't thrilled about it, but Mandy was an adult and he couldn't stop her.

Life was going great for Mandy and Sam. They had a wonderful life and a great relationship. Jared soon joined Sam in the pack, followed a few months later by Paul. Paul quickly imprinted on his girlfriend Leah's cousin Emily, which had caused quite a bit of drama in the group. Mandy couldn't help but feel horrible for Leah, who had no real explanation for why her boyfriend had suddenly abandoned her for her cousin.

Around this time, Bella had arrived in Forks to live with Charlie. Phil was travelling for baseball and Bella could see that Renee wanted to go with him, so she volunteered to finish her last year and a half of school at Forks High. Mandy was thrilled to have her sister in Forks. She had so many ideas of how to get Bella to come out of her shell and she couldn't wait to put them into action. Everything seemed to be going fine until Edward Cullen walked into the picture.

Bella had met Edward in Biology on her first day and she told Mandy that she felt drawn to him. Sam had already told Mandy that the Cullens were vampires; so when she discovered that her sister was interacting with them, she was concerned. She had gone to school with them herself as they were only a few years behind her, but she had never interacted with them. Even though she hadn't known they were vampires at the time, they made her uncomfortable.

She mentioned her unease about the Cullens to Bella in hopes of making her want to stay away from them, especially Edward. But Bella assured her that everything was fine and that Mandy didn't need to worry about her. When Mandy told Sam what was happening with Bella and Edward, he became very angry. Even though the pack had a treaty with the Cullens, he didn't trust them. He was concerned that they were trying to go through Bella to get to Mandy, and then go through Mandy to get to the pack.

It took Mandy a while to reassure Sam that the Cullens wouldn't dare harm two humans to get to the pack. After all, why would the Cullens need to go through her and her sister to get to Sam and the others? They were vampires; they could just attack the pack without using any humans as middlemen. They were more likely to just kill the humans in the process, then where would they be? They would just be giving the pack a reason to attack. Anyway, the Cullens seemed to be pretty loyal to the treaty; it was unlikely that they would kill any humans.

Bella seemed to be getting closer and closer to Edward. They even seemed to be dating after a while. Charlie was upset that Bella was spending so much time with a boy he hardly knew; Mandy had a feeling that his younger daughter would enter a relationship with his best friend's son.

Mandy knew that Jake would be more than willing to date Bella because he was always asking Mandy for any information she might have on Bella. He wanted to know everything he could about her and was always asking Mandy when Bella would be coming to the Rez to visit. Mandy encouraged Jake's excitement about her younger sister because she secretly shared her father's desire that Bella would leave Edward and be with Jake.

At the end of the school year, Bella was in the hospital with a broken leg. She had apparently run a flight of stairs while chasing after Edward and tripped and fell. While that seemed like a very possible story, due to Bella's clumsy nature, Mandy knew that it was unlikely to be true. Bella was a horrible liar, and Mandy knew that something else had happened. Still, she didn't push it because she didn't want to have to explain her own knowledge of vampires.

Mandy was concerned for her younger sister. She knew that Bella was possibly falling in love with her "blood-sucking boyfriend," as the boys referred to Edward. She just hoped that someday soon her younger sister would see that there was a great deal of danger involved with vampires, especially if you were in a romantic relationship with one. Little did Mandy know that the danger would soon be growing.

When Bella was nearly attacked by one of Edward's brothers on her birthday, the entire Cullen family disappeared. Bella also temporarily disappeared in the forest after entering with Edward. Thankfully, after only a few hours, Sam was able to find her and brought her back to Mandy and Charlie. For the next few months, Bella was in a near catatonic state. She was simply going through the motions of life: get up, get ready, go to school, come home, do homework, sit and look out the window for hours, go to sleep, wake up screaming from nightmares. It was the same thing every day, nothing ever changed. Bella was a washed-out version of herself, all of the color and life had gone out of her.

Charlie and Mandy both did what they could for her, but she just seemed stuck. It was as if Bella was afraid that if she allowed herself to start healing from the break up at all, she would be betraying Edward and their love in some way. Mandy, who no longer lived in the same house as her father and sister, felt horrible for Charlie. He was the one who had to deal with this on a daily basis, while Mandy could always leave and go home to her and Sam's house. Charlie was the one who was losing sleep every night when his younger daughter woke up screaming.

After several months of this horrible routine, Charlie finally had enough. He called Mandy and told her he was thinking of sending Bella to Jacksonville to be with their mother. Mandy agreed that this would probably be a good idea, as a change in scenery might help break Bella out of her depressed state. However, when Charlie confronted Bella a few hours later about this potential move, Bella didn't go for it. She insisted that she wanted to stay in Forks, saying she had grown to love the town. Charlie tried to change her mind by blatantly telling her that Edward wasn't coming back, insinuating that this was the only reason Bella would really want to stay in Forks, but Bella wouldn't budge.

In order to prove to her father that she did have more to stay for in Forks than just waiting for her ex-boyfriend to return, Bella decided to go to a movie with a friend from school, Jessica. She invited Mandy to go with them, but Mandy already had plans with Sam. When Mandy went over to her father's house a few days later, she noticed that Bella was starting to act like her old self again.

Not long after, Mandy heard that Bella was going over to the Black house almost every day to hang out with Jacob. After work one day, Mandy stopped over to see if her sister was there. Billy directed her to the barn in the back, where she discovered her sister and Jacob working on motorcycles. Bella saw Mandy's concern over the motorcycles, so she reassured her that they had no intention of actually riding them. She had seen them about to be scrapped and decided that if she and Jacob could fix them up, they could sell them and split the profits. Mandy didn't fully believe her, but decided to trust her since this was the most seemingly positive activity Bella had had in months. Despite her better judgment, Mandy agreed not to tell Charlie due to Bella's pleading that she allow Bella to surprise him once their project was complete.

Mandy was very quickly distracted by the Bella situation when the pack started growing more. First Jared Cameron joined the pack, followed by Embry Call. Between the two newest pack members and Paul and Sam, Mandy found it hard to keep up with the amount of food she needed to produce for them. She had never imagined that she would find herself in a situation where it would be necessary for her to cook large amounts of food for her boyfriend and their friends, but it just sort of happened. At first, Mandy was annoyed by their constant whining about how hungry they were and asking her to make something for them to eat. Her go-to reply had originally been, "Go get it yourself, you're fully capable of making your own food. You don't need to be nagging a woman to make you food." But after Paul nearly burned down her kitchen in an attempt to cook something in the microwave (he apparently didn't realize that you don't leave the metal spoon you used to mix the food up in the bowl when you start the microwave. "I mean, how the hell was I supposed to know that metal isn't microwaveable?" he asked when explaining the situation to the others), Mandy caved and started cooking for them in order to save her home from going up in flames.

Everyone suspected that Jake would be the next one to join the pack. He was the one who was by birth right destined to be the Alpha, so Sam was waiting for the opportunity to hand over the responsibility to Jake. He had assumed the right of Alpha as he was the oldest and the first to phase, but he didn't always feel comfortable with the responsibility. He planned to step aside in favor of Jake when the time came, and be there to help Jake transition into the leadership position. Mandy was looking forward to this as well, as she could see the toll the responsibility could take on Sam. She wanted him to be able to fit into a roll in the pack that would be more comfortable and natural for him.

Another imprint joined the group as well. Jared imprinted on a sweet girl from school named Kim. It was an easy transition for Kim, as she had had a crush on Jared for a long time. Mandy and Emily were thrilled to have another girl around, and Kim quickly became one of their best friends. She was quiet and shy at first, but opened up once she got to know everyone better. Mandy thought it was funny how Jared, who tried to act tough around the other guys, became so caring and sensitive whenever he was around Kim.

They didn't have to wait long for Jake to phase. Billy told Sam that Jake had been moodier lately, and everyone could see the growth spurt that he was going through. Finally, it happened; Jake came home and phased in his living room after Billy simply asked him how his day was. Thankfully, Billy was far enough away from him that he didn't get hurt, but it was still a stressful situation. When Sam and the others went into the forest to help Jake deal with his new found shape-shifting abilities, Mandy had to deal with Bella.

Sam had come up with the Mono explanation after Paul phased, so that was the agreed-upon excuse they had used for each subsequent new pack member when they first phased. So when Bella called Mandy to see what was going on with Jake, Mandy gave the fake diagnosis of Mono. Apparently, Jake had been at the movies with Bella and a friend of hers from school on the night he phased. Bella's friend had gotten sick and this irritated Jake, who stormed out of the movie theater without giving Bella much of an explanation. Mandy tried to convince her younger sister that there was nothing wrong; Jake was going to be fine. He obviously wasn't feeling well because he was coming down with Mono, which was why he was acting so strange at the movies. He just needed a little bit of time to get better, so he wasn't going to be able to see Bella for a while. But Mandy would of course be keeping tabs on him and would give Bella regular updates as to how he was doing.

Mandy hoped this would persuade her sister to get a bit of distance for a while, but this wasn't the case. Bella was apparently more stubborn than anyone had ever given her credit for, as she was constantly calling Jake. Even though Jake wasn't answering, that didn't stop her from trying. Mandy didn't know what to do. She had been hoping for a while that Bella would break up with her vampire boyfriend and maybe get together with Jake, who seemed to be a better fit for her from what Mandy could see. But since three of the now five wolves had imprinted on someone (Sam, Paul, and Jared), she was worried about what that meant for the others. Imprinting was supposed to be rare, but it now seemed pretty common. Mandy didn't want to see Jake and Bella to get into a situation that Paul had found himself in not long before.

Paul had been dating Leah Clearwater for a long time in school. They were so in love, everyone thought they would one day get married. Leah was a great match for Paul. She was willing and able to deal with his strong personality and, more often than not, bad temper. She was able to help him calm down whenever he got angry, which no one else had been able to do up to that point. Everything was going great for them, until Leah's cousin Emily came to visit. As soon as Paul saw Emily, he imprinted on her. He knew what had happened because of Sam's imprinting on Mandy, so he was horrified at what this meant. He loved Leah, he didn't want to hurt her. But he couldn't deny what he felt for Emily. This lead him to breaking up with Leah and pursuing Emily, even though Emily was resisting the pull she felt for him. She couldn't understand why he would be so willing to call it quits with her cousin, with whom he seemed to have a beautiful relationship, and quickly jump into a relationship with her.

Emily and Paul eventually got together, but tragedy struck them. Emily was standing too close to Paul when he phased one day, and he severely scratched the side of her face and neck. She was rushed to the hospital by Jared, who told the doctors she was attacked by a bear. Emily recovered and forgave Paul, who was never able to fully forgive himself for the physical damage he accidently inflicted upon the one person he never wanted to hurt. They had just become engaged, which had helped Paul focus on something other than Emily's injury. The whole situation taught the entire pack some valuable lessons; ones they weren't quick to forget.

This was why Mandy wanted Bella to stay away from Jake for a while. It was obvious that the two of them had developed a deep friendship while they were working on the motorcycles, and everyone knew that Jake had a crush on Bella. There was a chance, now that Edward was out of the picture for the foreseeable future, that Bella could come to develop feelings for Jake as well. But now there was a chance that Jake could imprint on someone, Mandy didn't want her sister to get hurt. Sure, there was a chance that Jake could imprint on Bella, but that chance was very small. No one wanted Jake and Bella to get into relationship and then have Jake imprint on someone else. To have her sister end up in the same situation as Leah would be unbearable for Mandy.

Unfortunately, Bella kept pushing. She showed up at Jake's house one day to confront him, but Jake brushed her off. He didn't want to, but Sam had specifically ordered him not to reveal anything to Bella. Jake hated it whenever Sam ordered him to do or not to do something. In Mandy's opinion, however, that was his own fault. Jake could have very easily taken over as Alpha, but he turned it down when Sam offered it to him. Mandy always sighed in frustration when Jake complained about Sam not allowing him to share this part of his life with her sister; if he wanted it to be different, he could make it be different.

Jake didn't have to figure out a way to get around Sam's order, however. Bella took care of that for him one day by showing up at his house and confronting the pack, which made Paul angry enough for him to phase in front of her. Jake phased as well to protect Bella, leading to a particularly nasty fight between him and Paul. Jared and Embry took Bella back to Sam and Mandy's place, where Mandy was spending the day with Emily and Kim. Bella was upset that Mandy knew about what was going on with Jake the whole time and didn't tell her. This led to a few weeks of Bella not speaking to Mandy at all, which didn't really bother Mandy all that much. She knew Bella would get over it eventually. In all honesty, Mandy was irritated with her sister, who seemed to insert herself into situations that didn't call for her to do so. She would have never had to find out if she had just left the situation alone, but Bella had to keep digging. In a way, Mandy felt as though Bella was using Jake to get over Edward. Jake felt very strongly for Bella, but it was as though Bella was using him to fill a hole. As time went on, it was clear that Jake hadn't imprinted on Bella, but that didn't stop him from allowing his feelings to grow for Bella. Jake and Bella seemed to be heading in the same unfortunate direction as Paul, Leah, and Emily, which is what they had all dreaded.

Then everything started going downhill. Harry Clearwater died of a heart attack after almost being attacked by a vampire named Victoria, who was out for revenge against Bella. Mandy was at the Clearwater house with Sam and some of the other boys when Jake called and said that one of the Cullens came back. It had been the one who could see the future, and she took Bella with her to Italy in order to save Edward. Mandy couldn't understand what was going on, why would Bella need to go all the way to Italy to save her ex-boyfriend? Jake couldn't answer all of her questions, as Bella and the vampire had left so quickly without much explanation. Charlie was beside himself with worry because Bella had left him only a vague note about where she was going. Mandy felt horrible for her father, because she couldn't give him any answers.

When Bella returned, the entire Cullen family returned as well. Bella didn't waste any time jumping right back into a relationship with Edward, which broke Mandy's heart. She had always found Edward too controlling, too overbearing when it came to his relationship with Bella. It was as if he was the one who got to make all of the decisions in the relationship, and Bella was happy to go along with it. Jake was distraught over this, of course. He had had hope that Bella would eventually fall in love with him and they would be as happy as all of the imprinted couples were. But since Edward had returned, Bella had barely spoken to Jake at all. It was as if she had forgotten all of the months that she had spent with Jake while Edward was gone. Mandy couldn't believe her sister was doing this. Bella had been trying so hard to figure out what was going on with Jake when he disappeared from her life after he first phased, saying that she felt as though she wouldn't be able to make it through everything if he didn't stay in her life. But she just dropped him once Edward came back. Mandy couldn't bring herself to speak to Bella for a while, not being able to bear listening to her going on about how great it was that Edward was back while Mandy knew Jake was really hurting over this whole situation.

The only bright spot in Mandy's life was when Sam asked her to marry him. They had been together for almost two years and had been living together for a large part of their relationship, so this felt like the natural next step. He had taken her up to the cliff they always went cliff jumping from and proposed, having saved up enough money to buy a ring. He had picked the location because he knew how much she loved the view of the ocean. They planned on getting married in June of 2006, which was their two-year anniversary. Charlie and Renee were both thrilled that their oldest daughter was getting married, Charlie especially because this relationship was more "normal" than his other daughter's relationship. He'd never liked Edward nor had he approved of Bella's relationship with him, so he was happy that Mandy was with a man he did approve of.

The wedding planning did bring the two sisters together to a certain extent. Mandy decided to put her feelings about her sister's boyfriend to the side for the moment in order to have her sister be part of the wedding. So when Bella agreed to be her Maid of Honor, Mandy was happy that they were able to talk about something again that didn't have to do with vampires or werewolves. There was, however, the simple fact that Bella couldn't understand why Mandy wanted to get married in the first place. She didn't hide the fact that she thought that marriage doesn't work, as their own parents had been married for a short period of time before divorcing. Mandy tried to explain that just because their parents didn't work out, that didn't mean that all marriages were doomed. This was just the way that Mandy and Sam wanted to express their commitment to one another.

This is when Bella revealed that Edward had proposed to her, but she'd turned him down. Seeing Mandy's confusion, she explained that while she loved Edward and wanted to be with him for as long as she could, she didn't want to marry him. She was afraid that marriage would be the beginning of the end of their relationship, as it had for their parents. When Mandy asked what she did want from her relationship with Edward, what Bella told her made her feel sick. Bella wanted Edward to change her into a vampire. This was her version of commitment; if she became a vampire like her boyfriend, then she would really get to spend forever with him. Mandy didn't know how to react, but she knew she couldn't tell Sam yet. She needed to process what her sister had revealed to her before she shared her concerns to her fiancé. Besides, Mandy felt that the Cullens wouldn't want to be the ones to break the treaty. From what she knew of them, she knew that they were as peaceful as a family of vampires could be.

Things started getting bad again when a string of unexplained murders started occurring in Seattle. Bodies were being discovered in Seattle on a daily basis, all drained of blood. It was obvious to everyone that vampires were involved, though Bella swore that the Cullens weren't involved when Mandy questioned her. Another development was that the pack had grown again. Quil Ateara V had joined the pack shortly after Bella returned from Italy, and Harry Clearwater's kids, Leah and Seth, had joined not long after. Leah and Seth had surprised the entire pack, as Seth was a lot younger than everyone else and Leah was the only known female in tribe history to ever phase. Leah had been a very angry person ever since Paul had ended their relationship, but she finally got to know the reason why. She finally understood that Paul hadn't taken their breakup as lightly as she thought he had, but that didn't make her life much easier. She couldn't bear to be around Emily much, even though she had agreed to be her Maid of Honor. Mandy tried to include Leah as much as she could and tried to get the boys to treat her with as much kindness and respect as they could, hoping this would help Leah heal. It did, but not much.

As the situation in Seattle started becoming more serious, it became obvious that something needed to be done as soon as possible. The best way to get this done was for everyone, both werewolf and vampire, to work together. Sam didn't want to work with the Cullens, but he eventually decided it was necessary. He didn't know how vampires worked as well as the Cullens did, so he needed their help to protect the humans who were vulnerable to attack. When the pack and the Cullens met, Sam had asked Mandy to stay home. He didn't often tell her what she could and couldn't do, but he did it when he felt that her safety could be at risk. Mandy understood, and waited at home with Emily and Kim.

The group eventually figured out that it was Victoria, the vampire who had caused Harry's heart attack, who was behind the small army of newborn vampires. She was still angry and vengeful towards Bella and the Cullens, who she blamed for the death of the vampire she loved. She had created these new vampires to destroy the Cullens, which meant that they were coming to Forks. The pack and the vampires came up with a plan to kill the newborn army, which meant another time for Mandy to stay at home. Part of the plan, however, involved Bella being stuck on top of a mountain with both Edward and Jacob. Mandy knew that the situation was less than ideal in every way. Jake still carried a torch for Bella, who still had latent feelings for him. Bella had told Mandy that even though she still felt a connection to Jake, it didn't compare to the feelings she had for Edward. Mandy didn't know how well the whole mountain thing would work for the three of them, she just hoped that they would all come back unscathed.

This didn't happen, however. Mandy received a call from Sue Clearwater that she needed to get over to the Black house quickly because Jake was hurt. As she drove, she prayed as hard as she could that Jake would be alright. Sue hadn't been clear about how hurt Jake was, but he could be deathly injured if a vampire had gotten hold of him. When Mandy arrived at Jake's house, it was clear that it wasn't good. Everyone except Sam and the Cullen doctor were waiting outside, waiting for news. It turned out that a vampire had crushed his side as he tried to stop it from hurting Leah. Once it was certain that Jake was going to be alright for the time being, everyone went home. A few days later, some surprising news came from Bella and Edward in the form of an invitation in the mail.

 **AN: Man, that was long. It took me forever to write this, as I had to do it from memory. I haven't watched the movies in a while, so I was trying to remember exactly what happened in each movie. I'm sorry if it seems as if some of the information here seems a bit redundant or unnecessary, but it'll make sense in later chapters. I tried to break it up into separate chapters, but I wanted to get all of this stuff out of the way as soon as possible and it all became one chapter. There will be dialogue in the rest of the story, I promise. I wanted to start the actual story at the beginning of Breaking Dawn, so that's where we will be in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter One: The Wedding

**Chapter One: The Wedding**

"Sam, are you home?" Mandy called as she walked through the front door.

"Hey," Sam greeted as he walked out of the kitchen, "How was your day at work?"

"It was interesting," Mandy sighed, "Dad was really upset, even though he was trying not to show it."

"Why, what happened?"Sam asked, concerned, "Did something bad happen?"

"I guess you could say that," she replied, "He was fine until he went home for his lunch break. Apparently, he decided to check his mail and found something from Bella he really didn't like. We got one, too."

Mandy pulled an envelope out of her purse and handed it to Sam.

"What's this?"Sam asked, frowning.

"Just open it," Mandy sighed as she sat down on the couch and starting to rub her head, a headache starting to form.

"Is this what I think it is?" Sam exclaimed in disbelief, "They're seriously going to get married?"

"Looks like it," Mandy said sadly, "I honestly didn't think she would agree to it. She was always so against marriage because of our parents' divorce. I guess this was their idea of a compromise."

"How in the hell is this a compromise, Mandy?" Sam asked, his voice raised in outrage, "This is no compromise! She's a human who's getting married to a vampire! The only way it would ever work is if he changed her!"

"Exactly!" Mandy exclaimed, "That's what she wants, she told me so when she was helping me plan our wedding! He was the one who wanted to get married, not her. The compromise was probably that she would marry him if he changed her. Everyone knows how badly she wants Edward to change her."

"He can't," he said firmly, shaking his head, "None of them can. It's against the treaty, we'll have no choice but to attack."

Mandy felt sick for a moment at the implication. If Sam and the others attacked the Cullens, it meant that they would be attacking and possibly killing her sister as well.

"Sam," she said softly, "Do you honestly believe that you'll have no choice?"

"What do you mean?" Sam scoffed, "Of course we'll have no choice! By changing or killing a human, the Cullens will have broken the treaty!"

"But what if you changed it?" Mandy asked, "You're the Alpha, you have the ability to change the treaty or make an exception."

Sam sighed and sat down on the couch next to her.

"Yes, I could change it," he agreed, "But I couldn't do it without a valid reason or without talking to the pack and the council. No one would agree to it."

"Sure they would," Mandy said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder, "Think about it: They're in love. As much as I hate to admit it, Bella and Edward love each other as much as you and I love each other. I know it's hard to believe, but it's true. They want to spend the rest of their lives together; they want to really be together without the danger of one hurting or killing the other on accident. I would want the same thing if we were in that situation. All of the other pack members who have imprinted should understand that as well."

"But what about those who aren't imprinted yet?" Sam asked, "They don't know the feeling of being that connected to someone. And what about Jacob? You know how he feels about Bella, he will do everything in his power to try to stop it. He's the rightful Alpha, this might push him over the edge enough to claim it. Then nothing I do or say about the situation will matter."

"Jake will have a hard time with it" Mandy replied, "But I think he will come to understand it in time. He'll never like it, but hopefully he'll learn to accept it. It'll be hard at first, hopefully time will give him some perspective on it."

Sam kissed her head as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"What about you?" Sam asked, concerned, "How do you feel about this?"

Mandy sighed, then said, "I'm upset that she's gonna be turning into a vampire. I understand why it's necessary, why she wants to do it. But I'm really not happy that this is what it's come down to. Like I said, she wants to be with Edward without any limitations; the only way she can do it is to become like him. This whole thing just really sucks."

"I really don't like this, either," Sam grumbled, "It doesn't feel right."

"No, it doesn't" she agreed, "But it also doesn't feel right to stop it. She's my sister, I want her to be happy. If marrying Edward and having him turn her into a vampire makes Bella happy, then we should let her do it."

Sam was quiet for a moment, thinking about what he was going to do. Then he nodded, but he didn't look happy.

"Alright," he said, "I'll talk with the others today, see what they think. But I can't promise anything."

"Thank you for at least considering this," Mandy smiled slightly at him, "I appreciate this, I know it isn't easy for you. I wouldn't be asking you to do this for anyone else."

After he left, Mandy started thinking about how her own wedding had compared to Bella's wedding. When she and Sam got married, there was no drama or questioning how right or safe this might be. It was natural, happy, and full of love. They got married on the Rez, which meant that the Cullens were unable to attend. Bella had initially been miffed about this, she had at least wanted to bring Edward as her date. But Edward, showing some grace and understanding, talked her down from being too upset. He reminded her that this was her sister's day and they should respect the decision. Sam and Mandy had now been married for three weeks, which had been the best three weeks they had experienced so far. But now the honeymoon period was both literally and figuratively over, as they had to prepare for a much more controversial marriage. Mandy took the invitation out of the envelope again, at which point she noticed there was an additional piece of paper tucked inside.

The note was written by Bella, asking Mandy if she would return the favor and be the Maid of Honor just as Bella had been for her. Mandy smiled softly, before pull her phone out of her purse. She texted Bella quickly, assuring her that she would be there to stand beside her as her Maid of Honor. Bella replied with immense gratitude, stating that she was glad that her older sister was ok with her decision to marry Edward. This made Mandy want to cry; she really wasn't ok with her younger sister's choice. It was taking everything she had to not tell Bella that she was making a big mistake and that becoming a vampire was not the route she should take.

A few hours later, Mandy was getting ready for bed when she heard Sam enter the house. She walked out of the bathroom in time to see Sam sit down on the bed.

"How'd it go?" she asked nervously as she sat down next to him.

"Jake's gone," he replied.

"What do you mean, he's gone?" Mandy exclaimed in horror, "Gone where?"

"I don't know," Sam said, shaking his head, "He just ran off this afternoon. Billy said he left as soon as he read the wedding invitation. He's too far away for any of us to catch up with him."

"Oh my god," Mandy groaned, "That's horrible! I knew he was going to react badly when he got the news, but I didn't think he would just run off like that!"

"Neither did I," Sam agreed, "But can you blame him? The girl he's in love with wants to marry a bloodsucker and have him change her. I'd probably react the same way."

"How did the others react?" Mandy asked, "Are they going to agree to a change in the treaty?"

Sam nodded and replied, "They agreed to it, but they aren't happy about it. Paul was pissed, but he agreed to it once I mentioned that he would probably do the same thing for Emily that Bella and Edward are doing."

"What about the council?" she questioned.

"That it was ultimately my decision," he sighed, "They said they would support me either way."

"So you're gonna do it?" Mandy asked her husband gently, "You're gonna change the treaty to let them get married and let Bella become a vampire?"

Sam shook his head and said, "I'm not gonna change it, I'm just making an exception. Edward's not technically going to kill Bella, at least not the way most people think. And he's not changing her to create an army like that redhead bloodsucker did. He's doing it cuz he loves her and she wants it to happen. She's your sister, I know it would kill you if something bad happened to her."

Mandy nodded and sighed. She was glad that Sam and the others were going to make an exception for her sister. It wasn't like the Cullens were going to be doing this sort of thing on a regular basis. Edward was the last one out of his family to enter into a marriage, all of the others had been paired up for years. There would no longer be any need for them to create any new vampires to complete their family. Bella had told her once that vampires couldn't give birth and that it was against some vampire law to change very young children, so they wouldn't be adding any children to the mix in the foreseeable future. It seemed as though this would be the final time a human would be changed by the Cullens.

"I just hope this is worth it," Mandy said quietly, "I really hope this turns out the way my sister wants it to. It's permanent, she's never gonna be able to undo this if she one day decides she wants to be human again. And I have no idea what she's gonna do about our parents. With our mom, it'll be easier to disappear from her life. Bella hasn't had much contact with Mom lately, so it might just be better to let it fade out naturally. But Dad isn't gonna let it go so easily. He would never quit looking for her if she disappeared without a trace. It'll ruin him."

"We'll just have to be there for him when that happens," Sam reassured her as he put his arms around her, "It's gonna happen no matter what. Bella won't be able to tell him that she's a vampire, it's too dangerous. We'll come up with something when the time comes."

Mandy nodded and rubbed her eyes tiredly. It had been a long, emotional day for her and she was ready for some sleep. Before she knew it, it was time for the wedding. She had spent the summer helping Bella plan the wedding; or, more accurately, she had been trying to keep up with the demands of the person who was really planning the wedding. Alice Cullen had taken over the wedding planning with gusto. Bella let her, as she had never really been one for planning anything, and Mandy just went along with it. She was too wrapped up with trying to come to terms with her sister's imminent life change that she wasn't really in the best mindset to argue with Alice; she simply found it easier to allow Alice to do whatever she wanted. After all, if Bella was fine with handing her future sister-in-law the reins of her wedding, Mandy was fine with it, too. As long as Alice didn't pick out a horrible bridesmaid dress for her, Mandy wouldn't have any problems.

When she saw the guest list, Mandy was happy there would be at least some other non-vampires attending the wedding as well. Along with her and Sam, her parents and step-father would be there, as well as Sue and Seth Clearwater, Billy Black, and a few of Bella's friends from school. Leah had been invited along with her mother and brother, but she had a very low opinion of Bella and had opted out. Jake had also been invited, but he would almost definitely not be in attendance. Ever since he had received the invitation, he had disappeared and had yet to return. No one had seen or heard from him since he left, and it was probably best that he didn't attend. Mandy knew that seeing Bella get married to anyone else, especially to a vampire, would be absolute torture for Jake.

Mandy had just left the room that Bella was getting ready in and was starting to look for Sam when Esme called out for her. Mandy turned and saw Esme and Carlisle standing with a group of very pale, very good looking people. She had never met them before, but strongly suspected that they might be some of the vampire guests. Mandy sighed, then walked over to join the group.

"Mandy, these are our friends from Alaska," Esme told her, "This is Carmen, Eleazar, Kate, Tanya, and Irina. Everyone, this is Mandy Uley, Bella's older sister."

"It's nice to meet you," Mandy managed to say as she tried to smile at the newcomers, "Thanks for coming to my sister's wedding, I'm sure she appreciates it."

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well," Kate greeted in return, "We've heard so much about you and Bella from the Cullens. You recently got married yourself, right?"

"Yes," Mandy replied, "My husband Sam and I got married earlier this summer."

"Congratulations," Carmen said enthusiastically, "It's always wonderful when two people start their new lives together."

Mandy smiled awkwardly. The only vampires she had only interacted with were the Cullens, and that was on a very limited basis. She didn't know how to act around this new group. Their eyes were the same golden color, which Mandy understood to mean they followed the same "vegetarian" diet as the Cullens. Still, Mandy felt strange standing around talking with a group of vampires. Thankfully, her mother finally came to her rescue.

"Honey, it's almost time to start. Bella's about to come out with your father," Renee said as she came up next to her daughter.

"Alright, Mom," Mandy replied before turning back to the Alaskan vampires, "It was nice to meet you."

The wedding went surprisingly well. Mandy knew that Bella had been afraid of messing up somehow, either by tripping down the aisle or by saying the wrong thing during the vows. However, she did fine and now she was married to the one she loved. Mandy felt happy for her sister, even though she didn't agree with some of the details surrounding her sister's new marriage. But for the moment, she tried to focus on the fun part of the wedding: the reception. Mandy had fun dancing with Sam, Seth, her father, and, somehow, Emmett. She didn't know how the large vampire talked her into it, but she somehow found herself dancing with her sister's new brother-in-law. Sam had been apprehensive about his wife dancing with a vampire, but even he had to laugh as Emmett led Mandy in a rather lively, very funny dance.

The joy didn't last, however. Mandy and Sam had taken a break from dancing to get something to eat when suddenly Seth appeared next to them looking very concerned.

"Sam, you need to come outside right now," Seth urged.

"What's wrong, Seth?" Mandy asked, worried.

"Jake's back," Seth replied, "He showed up and was outside talking to Bella, but it doesn't look too good."

"Stay here," Sam said to Mandy quietly, "Just in case Jake loses his temper."

Mandy nodded and said, "Be careful, Sam. You know today isn't easy for him."

Sam nodded and walked outside with Seth. Mandy sighed and tried to continue eating; however, she had lost her appetite. She wished Jake had picked a different day to come back, if only to save himself and everyone else heartache. Even though Bella wasn't in love with him, she still loved him as a dear friend and would be deeply hurt if he was in any emotional turmoil. It seemed as though this wedding wouldn't be exempt from any family drama.

A few minutes later, Seth came back and sat down at the table next to her.

"What happened?" Mandy questioned softly, "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah, kind of," Seth said softly, "Jake got mad because of something Bella said. I don't know what she said to set him off, Sam and I got there right after it happened. But he was really angry and I was worried that he was gonna phase. Sam told him to leave and he just ran off into the forest. Sam went with him to try to calm him down."

"Unfortunately, I don't see that happening any time soon," Mandy groaned, "Jake's just gonna stay pissed for a while because he feels like there's no way he can save Bella from what he sees as a very bad ending. But she's made her decision and he's just gonna have to grow up and deal with it."

Seth nodded, and the two sat there quietly for a while before Emmett managed to convince Mandy to dance with him again. Mandy agreed, if only to distract herself from the downward turn the night had taken. Not too long after, it was time to say goodbye to Bella and Edward as they left for their honeymoon. Mandy made her way over to her sister once Bella was by herself.

"Hey," Mandy greeted with a smile, "It's finally time to go, huh? Are you excited?"

"Yeah," Bella said shakily, "Yeah, I think so."

"Hey now, none of that 'I think so' crap," Mandy teased lightly, "You've got nothing to worry about. Really, I'm sure it'll all go fine. Remember, you finally get to start your forever with Edward. I thought this is what you wanted?"

"It is!" Bella exclaimed adamantly, "Of course this is what I want!"

"Then what's wrong?" Mandy asked gently, "What am I missing here? I thought you would be jumping at the chance to get out of here so you could do what you've been waiting for since you and Edward got together."

"I'm just worried about how all of this is going to affect Jake," Bella admitted, her eyes filling with tears, "He was so upset when he was here earlier. I never meant to hurt him."

Mandy felt herself starting to get emotional as well.

"Don't worry about Jake," she said, her voice choking up, "We'll take care of him, that's what family is for. All you have to worry about is being with Edward and starting your life with him. You have chosen your life, it's time for you to start living it. You deserve to be selfish when it comes to this; you can't put your life on hold just to make sure Jake is ok all the time. Jake is a big boy, he needs to learn how to let this go."

"Why are you being so ok with this?" Bella asked in surprise, "I thought you didn't want me to do this."

"Honestly, if it were up to me, you wouldn't be doing this," Mandy agreed, "But like I said, it's your life, your decision. You're the one who has to live with whatever decision you make, I just have to find some way to accept it. I'm warning you, though, it might take a while for me to come to acceptance with this. But I just want you to know that I'm trying; Sam is, too. We want to be part of your life, whatever form it takes."

Bella smiled at her sister in gratitude and threw her arms around her in a hug.

"Thank you so much," she said, tears starting to fall down her face, "You have no idea how much it means to me that you're at least trying to be ok with this. That's all I can ask for."

As they pulled apart, Mandy smiled at Bella.

"Don't forget what I said," Mandy insisted, "You've chosen your life, start living it, whatever form it comes in. Let the rest of us deal with ourselves, we'll be ok."

Renee came over and stole Bella away from Mandy for her own goodbye. Mandy made her way over to her father.

"How are you, Dad?" she asked with a smile, "How are you doing with the idea that both of your daughters got married within a few months of each other?"

Charlie smiled and shook his head.

"I still can't believe that either one of you are old enough to have boyfriends, let alone get married," he chuckled, "It seems like your mom and I just brought the two of you home from the hospital and now you're both starting your lives with your own families. When did that happen?"

"I don't know, Dad," Mandy shook her head, smiling, "But it happened, and neither one of us could have done any better than we did."

"Speaking of husbands," Charlie said, "Where's yours? I haven't seen Sam in a while."

"He wasn't feeling well," Mandy lied, covering for the real reason Sam had disappeared, "He decided to head home and rest. I should probably go check on him."

"Alright," Charlie said, pulling Mandy in for a hug, "I love you, kiddo."

"I love you too, Dad," Mandy replied.

As Mandy headed home, she started crying. Despite what she had told her sister, Mandy didn't feel all that accepting of Bella's decision to become a vampire at the moment. She couldn't help but feel as though she had just lost her little sister, and all she felt in her heart at the moment was grief. She couldn't imagine how this feeling could get any worse. Little did she know, it would become far worse in only a few weeks.


	3. Chapter Two: Bella's Back

**Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing to do with Twilight.**

Chapter Two: Bella's Back

It had been a few weeks since Bella and Edward got married, and life had returned to normal for Mandy. She knew in her heart that her sister was no longer a human and that it would be a while before she would get to see her again. She and her sister had talked about how they wouldn't be able to see each other for about a year, until Bella was past the more dangerous part of her new existence and was better able to control herself around humans. It was hard to think about Bella no longer being human, but there was nothing anyone could do about it now.

Mandy and Sam were enjoying their own married life. Since Bella's wedding date was so close to hers and she'd been needed to help with the planning, Mandy hadn't had much time to get used to being married herself. But now Mandy was finding how much she really enjoyed her new marital status. With the imprint, it seemed so natural that she would spend the rest of her life with the man she loved. In fact, she didn't know why they had waited so long to get married in the first place! She was finally starting to build her future with Sam, and she didn't see anything getting in the way of that.

Unfortunately, Mandy's new-found peace in her new marriage didn't last. It all started with a knock on her front door.

"Hey, Dad," Mandy greeted as she opened the door for her father, "What's going on? I thought you were gonna be spending the day with Sue and Billy."

Charlie walked in and gave his daughter a hug.

"I am," he replied, "I just wanted to stop by and let you know that I heard from your sister. She called to let me know that they're staying on their honeymoon a little longer. Apparently, she picked up some kind of bug from the local food of whichever country they're in and they've decided to wait to come home until she feels well enough to travel. She wanted me to let you and Renee know so you guys don't worry."

And so the lying begins, Mandy thought. Bella didn't pick up any bug from some bad food; she's been turned into a vampire and has to come up with a good excuse to give to her father as to why she isn't coming home yet.

"Oh, no!" Mandy exclaimed, playing along with the lie Bella had fed Charlie, "What a way to spend your honeymoon! That has to kill the romance for her and Edward."

Charlie made a face, "Thanks for that mental image, that's exactly what I wanted to think about. Anyway, I was just stopping by to let you know on my way over to Billy's."

"Thanks, Dad," Mandy said, grinning at his discomfort over her previous comment, "Say hi to Billy and Sue for me."

A few hours later, Sam came home. As soon as he walked through the door, Mandy knew that something was seriously wrong. She could feel the anger radiating off of her husband as he came storming into the house.

"Sam," Mandy started warily, "What's wrong? You seem really upset."

"Bella's back," Sam said angrily, shaking slightly, "She's at the Cullens' house; Jake just went up and saw her."

"She's back already?" Mandy asked, shocked, "I mean, my dad came by earlier and told me that he'd heard from her. She told him that she'd picked up some kind of bug from some bad food on their honeymoon and were gonna wait a while before coming home. I thought they would be staying out of town for a while, until it was safer for her to come home and be around so many humans. Isn't it too dangerous for the Cullens to bring a newborn vampire here?"

Sam shook his head and laughed bitterly, "Her little 'bug' isn't due to bad food or recently becoming a vampire, Mandy! In fact, your sister is still as human as she was when she left on her honeymoon!"

Mandy felt herself go cold at her husband's words. Bella was still human? But hadn't the plan been for Edward to change her as soon as they started their honeymoon? Surly there was some kind of mistake; why would Bella have lied to Charlie if she hadn't been turned into a vampire yet?

"What the hell's going on, Sam?" she asked quietly, shocked, "Wasn't Edward supposed to have turned her already? What are they waiting for, they've been gone for weeks! They've had plenty of time to do it! And why wouldn't she have told us that she was back?"

"Maybe because she's pregnant!" Sam exploded, "Apparently, her bloodsucker got her pregnant before he had the chance to change her!"

"What?" Mandy whispered, going pale, "Pregnant? You're sure? How is that even possible? I thought that kind of thing never happened!"

"Of course I'm sure," Sam replied, shaking even harder, "Jake saw her earlier today. He went up to the Cullens' after your dad told him the same thing that he told you. He phased and showed the rest of us what he saw. That thing isn't human, Mandy! I mean, if it were normal, Bella wouldn't be as big as she is! She looked like she's about to give birth instead of newly pregnant!"

Mandy sat down on the couch, feeling as though she was about to pass out. Bella was somehow able to get pregnant by her vampire husband and now it seemed as though there were some serious problems with this pregnancy. How was this even possible?

"So what's gonna happen now?" she asked quietly, afraid of what his answer would be.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sam asked bitterly, "We have to do something to protect the humans in the area. There's no telling what could happen if she manages to give birth to that monster that's inside of her. There's no precedent to this, we don't know what could happen. The deal we made with the Cullens was that they change Bella, that's it. We never agreed that they could create any other new vampires. Whatever that thing is inside of Bella, they created a new kind of monster. We have to kill it as soon as possible!"

Mandy suddenly felt her lungs constrict; she couldn't breathe. Kill the thing that's inside of Bella? But it's still inside of her, killing her child/unborn monster would mean killing her as well! Before she could even begin to form an argument in her mind, however, Sam was already speaking.

"I need you to get some things together and go to Paul and Emily's for a while," he said with no room for argument, "All of the imprints are going to be there for a while until this whole thing dies down. I don't know how long this is going to take, but it'll turn ugly. The Cullens won't like what we're going to do and we have to prepare for some sort of retaliation. I have to go, but Quil will be over in a little while to give you a ride. He's picking up Claire right now."

"Sam, please," Mandy cried, "Please think this through. I don't want anyone to get hurt from this."

Sam shook his head, "I can't promise that no one will get hurt. In fact, it's almost a guarantee. Especially now that Jake has left the pack."

"What!" Mandy exclaimed, "Jake left the pack! Why would he do that?"

"Because he didn't agree with what I told him to do," he replied, "He finally stepped into the role of Alpha and went off on his own. I'm guessing that he's made it back to the Cullens' house by now. I need to go; get your stuff together and wait for Quil. Please Mandy, I know this is hard for you because it's your sister, but I need to know that you're safe."

Mandy nodded, and Sam walked out of the house. As soon as he left, Mandy hurried to get her stuff together just as Sam had asked. She had no intention, however, of waiting for Quil to pick her up to take her to Paul and Emily's. No, she intended to make this one decision for herself. Just before she left, Mandy knew that she had to leave some kind of explanation for her husband. She quickly found a piece of paper and wrote out a note for Sam.

The note read, "Sam, I know what I'm about to do is wrong. I should have told you to your face what I had planned; I should have let you hear it coming straight from my mouth instead of in a note. But I know that you would try to stop me, and this is something that I need to do. While leaving without really saying goodbye is wrong of me, what you're planning to do is so much worse. Killing my sister's unborn child/monster/whatever it is will also kill my sister. I can't let her die without saying goodbye. I love you, and I'm so sorry for not staying. Mandy."

Half an hour later, Mandy was pulling up in front of the Cullens' house. The entire trip over from her own home in La Push, Mandy had been shaking. She couldn't believe what she was doing; she was actually going to the home of those that her husband now viewed as the enemy. Before she lost her will and turned the car back around, Mandy killed the engine and got out of the car. She reached into the back seat to get her bag and as she straightened up, she saw Jake, Leah, and Seth walking towards her quickly.

"Seth, Leah, what are you doing here?" Mandy asked, confused, "Sam didn't say anything about you two leaving the pack as well."

"That's because we left while he was talking with you," Leah replied, frowning, "He didn't know at the time. What the hell are you doing here?"

"I came to see my sister," Mandy said, "Sam said she was here. She's still here, right?"

"She is," Jake nodded, "But you're crazy if you think for a second that we're gonna let you into that house. It's full of vampires who haven't hunted for a while. You'd be the only human in there who isn't pregnant with something that's repellant to them, you wouldn't last a second in there."

"Jake, come on," Mandy scoffed, "You and I both know that there's no way you're gonna keep me from going in that house. If you try and stop me, I'm gonna start screaming; Bella will hear me and she'll want me to come in there. You don't have it in you to say no to my sister, especially if she's in as bad of shape as Sam made it seem."

Jake looked conflicted; it was against his nature to put a human in direct danger from a group of hungry vampires, but he didn't want to stop two sisters from being able to see one another.

"I promise that I'll leave if it starts looking bad," Mandy reassured him, "At the first sign of danger, I'll leave. Whether if it's from the Cullens getting too hungry for me to be safe there, or if she actually delivers whatever is inside of her, I'll get in my car and drive away. I swear to God I'll do it, Jake, you have my word. Please, I just want to see my sister."

"Fine," Jake huffed, caving in, "But I'll drag you out of there myself the second things get bad."

"I wouldn't expect anything less," Mandy smiled slightly, relieved, "Thanks, Jake."

Mandy followed Jake, Leah, and Seth up to the front door. Before they entered, Jake paused.

"Stay behind us, just in case," he told Mandy, "Like I said, they haven't eaten in a while. Better to be safe than sorry. Just so you're prepared for what you're about to see, it's bad. Whatever you imagined your sister looking like, the real thing is worse."

Mandy paled at his words, but nodded. To be honest, she hadn't had much time to imagine what her sister looked like. It had only been about 45 minutes since she found out about Bella's pregnancy, during which she had been concentrating on simply getting to the Cullens'. Now that Jake had seen fit to warn her about the potential shock of what she was about to see, Mandy was beginning to get worried. What was this thing inside of her sister doing to her?

Jake opened the front door and the four walked in. Immediately, they were bombarded by some of the Cullens.

"What is she doing here?" Alice demanded, "Jacob, do you have any idea how dangerous it is for a human to be here right now?"

"Hey, back off," Jake snapped, "I didn't bring her here, she just showed up!"

"Well, why didn't you send her home?" Alice asked, "She's the wife of the man who's trying to kill Bella! Maybe he sent her here to find a way in, so he can get to her sister."

"Sam has no idea I'm here," Mandy informed her, "He thinks I'm waiting for a ride to a friend's house, he had no idea I was planning to come here."

At that moment, a noise from outside caught their attention. It was a howl of pain, the cry of a wolf that was hurting. As soon as she heard that noise, that incredibly heartbroken wail of a lonely creature, Mandy felt as though a thousand knives were being stabbed through her heart. The sheer pain of that moment took her breath away, almost making her keel over. She knew immediately her previous statement had just been proven false: Sam now knew that she wasn't where she was supposed to be. Quil must have found her note in the house and notified Sam that she was gone. Mandy felt sick, shaky; she had never experienced anything like this before. She knew it must be the imprint making her feel this way, and that Sam must be feeling the exact same away. Mandy sat down, holding her chest and gasping for air. Tears started falling from her eyes, blurring her vision.

"I think he knows now," Leah said softly, sitting down beside Mandy and putting her arm around her shoulders, "Are you sure this is what you want to do? You don't have to stay here, you should go back to Sam."

"Maybe that would be best," Esme agreed from across the room, "Like Alice said, it isn't safe for you here. Maybe Seth or Leah could drive you home, Mandy."

"No!" Mandy gasped in protest, "No, I need to see my sister! I need to see this for myself! All I know is that she's pregnant and that it doesn't look good. I need to do this! Sam can wait, my sister is more important right now!"

"Ok," Leah said, trying to calm her down, "We understand. Come on, calm down. Take a second to pull yourself together, then you can go see her."

Almost immediately, Mandy felt a sense of calm wash over her. It was an almost unnatural feeling, considering how upset she had just felt. She looked up to see Jasper looking at her, and she understood how he had helped her.

"Thank you," Mandy said softly, grateful for his supernatural ability to manipulate emotions.

Jasper nodded slightly before leaving the room. Mandy remembered Bella telling her that he had a harder time being around humans because he couldn't control his thirst for human blood as well as the rest of his family. If it was true that he hadn't hunted in a while, it must have been even harder for him to be in a human's presence.

Mandy followed the rest of the group into a room upstairs where Bella was resting. As soon as she lay eyes on her sister, Mandy felt dread fill her. Bella looked far too thin, bordering on emaciated. The skin on her face was pulled tight, any roundness to her facial features now gone. Her arms were so thin, they looked like they could be broken by the slightest touch. Her hair was thin, dull, and limp, pulled back into a careless ponytail. A thick blanket covered her torso and lower body, but Mandy knew they must be just as thin as Bella's upper body. Bella was a mere shadow of how she had been just weeks before; she was quite literally wasting away.

Bella saw her older sister enter, and a look of surprise covered her thin, tired face. She smiled slightly, happy to see someone new.

"Mandy," Bella exclaimed weakly, "I didn't know you were coming! Did Jake call you and tell you I was here?"

Mandy snapped back to control over herself and shook her head slightly.

"No," she said, "He told Sam after he left earlier, and Sam came home and told me. Why didn't you call me, Bella, I would have come over sooner if I knew you had come home."

Bella shrugged, "I didn't want to get you involved. I knew this would make things hard for you, especially with Sam. I know he doesn't like it when you come over here, he seemed to have a hard time when you came over to plan for the wedding."

"Yeah," Mandy agreed, pain stabbing her heart at the mention of Sam's protectiveness, "He never liked me being in a house full of vampires, it kind of goes against his nature."

"How'd you get him to be ok with you coming this time?" Bella asked, "I know he plans on attacking because of my baby. Why would he be alright with you being in a place he plans to attack."

"He didn't know I was coming here," Mandy admitted, "He thought I was going over to a friend's house. He figured it out just after I got here, though."

Bella nodded, then let the matter drop. Anyone who looked at Mandy could see that this wasn't something she wanted to discuss.

"Oh!" Bella gasped suddenly, a spasm of pain crossed her face before being replaced with a smile.

"What is it?" Mandy asked, curious and concerned.

"The baby moved!" Bella exclaimed, "Do you want to feel it?"

"Um, sure," Mandy said uncertainly, "Of course."

Bella pushed the blanket off of her stomach, revealing what had been hidden the whole time. While the rest of her body resembled a skeleton covered in skin and hair, Bella's stomach was enormous. It looked as though she were just weeks, if not days, away from delivering whatever was inside of her. As Bella took her hand and placed it over this large stomach, Mandy felt herself go numb with shock. She had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real.

"Do you feel it?" Bella asked hopefully.

"Yeah," Mandy whispered as she felt something knock against her palm strongly, "Yeah, I feel it."

"It's amazing, isn't it?" Bella asked with a smile, "Our own little miracle. Who knew something this wonderful could happen?"

"A miracle," Mandy shook her head slightly, "That's one way of looking at it."

Mandy withdrew her hand from her sister's stomach and stood up.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, "I need some air, I'll be right back."

Mandy turned and quickly walked out of the room. She rushed down the stairs and out the front door, where the cool night air hit her like a ton of bricks. This sent her over the edge, and she ran over to the bushes as her stomach finally decided to empty itself. This whole situation was overwhelming for her: Her younger sister came home from her honeymoon with a child that was killing her, her husband was also threatening to kill her sister and this unborn creature, and she was feeling her imprint bond straining. Mandy's head was spinning, she didn't know how much more she could take.

"Are you alright?" a voice came from behind her.

Mandy spun around and saw Jasper standing there looking at her. She shrugged slightly.

"You tell me," she replied, "Can't you feel everything I'm feeling?"

Jasper nodded, "Yes, I can. I suppose a better question is whether you're alright with staying here or going home."

Mandy sighed and sat down on the ground. After a moment, Jasper sat down next to her.

"I don't know what I'm going to do, Jasper," Mandy admitted, "I really have no idea. Regardless of what I do, I think it's pretty obvious that my sister is gonna die."

"How do you figure that?" Jasper asked.

"Oh, come on," she scoffed, "All you have to do is look at her and see that that thing is killing her. The more it grows, the closer she gets to death. Even if it doesn't kill her, my own husband will. Or he'll have one of the other pack members do it on his orders. Lord knows Paul will be more than willing, he likes nothing more than killing vampires. My sister is going to die very soon, it would be stupid to think otherwise."

Jasper was quiet for a moment before saying, "You seemed fine with her becoming a vampire not that long ago; what changed this time?"

"At least she'd still be around," Mandy exclaimed, "She was just becoming different, she wasn't really going to die! But now, she's gonna die regardless of what we do!"

"Edward and Jacob are both adamant about taking whatever it is out of her before it kills her," Jasper told her, "They believe they can cut it out of her and then change her. But she won't do it."

Mandy laughed bitterly.

"Of course she won't do it!" Mandy spat, "She thinks it's a miracle that that thing was even created! Why would she end its life just to save her own when she thinks it's the biggest blessing she's ever been given?"

Jasper nodded, understanding her point. They both sat quietly for a few moments.

"How long are you planning to stay?" he asked.

"As long as I can," Mandy admitted, "I promised Jake I would leave the second things become too dangerous; whether one of you guys gets too hungry or Bella goes into labor. Until then, I'm staying with my sister."

"Why?" Jasper asked curiously, "Why would you stay when you know your life's in danger?"

"Because I've never really been there for my little sister before," Mandy told him.

Jasper looked at her quizzically.

"I mean, we've never really been part of each other's lives on a consistent basis," she explained, "After our parents divorced when we were little, I stayed here with Dad while Bella moved away with Mom. For a while, they lived in California; then they moved to Arizona when Mom got remarried. We only really saw each other for a few weeks every summer. When Bella moved up here a couple of years ago, I was already out of the house and living with Sam. She was still a junior in high school, I was starting my adult life. It wasn't until she found out about the pack when you were gone that we really started spending time together. But then you guys came back, we didn't spend as much time together because she was back with Edward. The last time we spent any significant time together was this summer when we were planning our weddings. We thought we would have time to spend with each other when she wasn't a newborn anymore, but now this whole new mess is getting in the way. This is the last time we're going to be able to be together as sisters."

"There's a chance she could live," Jasper said quietly, "She could survive the birth. It's a long shot, but it could happen."

"Please tell me you're lying to try to make me feel better and you haven't really lost touch with reality," Mandy replied, "The chance of her surviving is essentially zero. I'm going to lose my sister before I could ever really get to know her as a sister. And what about our parents? This is absolutely going to destroy both of them. What about Edward? I remember what happened when he thought she had died cliff diving; he tried to get the creepy Italian guys to kill him."

Before Jasper could reply, he froze. His whole body tensed, and he quickly stood up.

"What is it?" Mandy asked, "What's wrong?"

"I'm going back in the house," he said tersely, "Before there can be some kind of misunderstanding."

Jasper was gone before Mandy could even register his words. She sighed and stood up. As she brushed off the back of her jeans, she heard a rustle in the bushes. Mandy felt her chest tighten; she knew who was there before she could see him.

"Sam," she called out, "Sam, I know you're there."

After a moment, Sam stepped out from the trees. He stood right at the tree line, looking at her with a pained expression.

"Why did you come here?" he asked, pain filling his voice, "Why didn't you just wait at home for Quil to come get you?"

Tears filled Mandy's eyes. Her chest hurt, she had never felt this brokenhearted before.

"Because my sister is dying, Sam!" she cried, tears falling down her face, "My sister is pregnant with something that's killing her! I'm losing my little sister and there's nothing anyone can do about it! And to make things worse, my own husband is threatening to kill her!"

"I'm doing this to protect you!" Sam yelled, "I am trying to get rid of that thing before it hurts you!"

"You're hurting me!" she yelled back.

At her words, Sam froze. He stared at her in shock, unable to believe what she was telling him.

"You're hurting me, Sammy," Mandy sobbed, "You're supposed to be trying to make this better, not worse! You're making me choose between my dying sister and the man I love! I know that you're worried about my safety, I get it. But you have to understand that by threatening to kill my sister, you're breaking my heart! I don't agree with what she's choosing to do, I really don't. If it were up to me, she would get that thing out of her right now and be done with it. But she's going through with it and I don't think anyone can change her mind. But what you're doing is so wrong, Sam! You should be helping me through the pain of watching my sister die, not trying to kill her sooner. I swear to God, if you go through with this plan of yours, we're done! I'll never be able to forgive you for killing my sister, whether you do it yourself or get one of the pack members to do it for you. As much as it would hurt to break our imprint, I'd do it!"

"You can't mean that," Sam said, pain and sorrow covering his face, "Why would you try to break our bond, destroy what we have? Bella's made her decision, why would you let it affect us?"

"Her decision has nothing to do with this," Mandy sniffed, tears still falling, "Your decision does. I mean it, Sam; if you go through with this, we're over."

Sam looked absolutely crushed at her words.

"Please," he begged, his tears finally falling, "Please, just come home. I just want you to come home."

"Will you leave my sister and that thing inside of her alone if I do?" Mandy questioned, "Will you promise to not kill her if I come home right now?"

Sam thought for a moment before sighing, "I can't promise you that. You know I can't. I have to protect everyone from that monster she's pregnant with."

"Then I'm staying," Mandy replied, "I'm staying here to say goodbye to my sister. When she dies, whether by your hand or her child's, I'll figure out what to do next."

Mandy turned and started walking towards the house. Each step she took closer to the house, therefore farther away from her husband, she felt heavier and heavier. She could hear Sam calling her name, begging her to come back to him. But she kept walking, her heart breaking more and more. When she entered the house, she saw Esme standing just inside, at the bottom of the stairs.

"Do you mind if I stay here?" Mandy asked quietly, "Just for a few days?"

"Of course, sweetheart," Esme said gently, "Come, we have a spare room right down the hall. You can put your things in there and lay down for a little while. After you've rested, I'll make something for you to eat."

"Thanks," Mandy mumbled.

Esme reminded Mandy of a soft, kind mother; someone who is always there and will always take care of anyone who needs her. Mandy realized that with her highly sensitive hearing, Esme probably heard the fight she'd just had with Sam. Hell, the whole house (sans Bella) probably heard it. But Mandy didn't care at the moment. All she wanted to do was lay down and forget the day.

Once Esme showed Mandy the room she'd be staying in, she tactfully left Mandy in peace. Mandy sat down on the bed, not sure what to do next. She decided to change and get some sleep. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt one more tear fall down her face.

 _Say something, I'm giving up on you  
I'll be the one if you want me to  
Anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

 _And I... am feeling so small  
It was over my head  
I know nothing at all  
And I... will stumble and fall  
I'm still learning to love  
Just starting to crawl_

 _Say something, I'm giving up on you  
I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you  
Anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

 _And I... will swallow my pride  
You're the one that I love  
And I'm saying goodbye_

 _Say something, I'm giving up on you  
And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you  
And anywhere I would've followed you  
Say something, I'm giving up on you_

 _Say something, I'm giving up on you  
Say something..._

 **AN: The song I put at the end of the chapter is called** **"** **Say Something** **"** **by A Great Big World. It belongs to them, not to me. I included it because I feel it was a good ending to the chapter. In this chapter, I felt so bad for both Mandy and Sam. I could see both of their points of view, but they were conflicting. Mandy wants to stay with her sister to properly say goodbye to her, as she feels she will never get the chance to do so** **again** **. All Sam wants to do is protect her, but thinks he has to kill her sister to do so. I included the conversation with Jasper because he was honestly one of the two Cullens I actually really liked (the other being Emmett). Please let me know what you think!**


End file.
